Mage with Heavy Armor?

[TiempoBandido]

I had this idea to take a Destruction/Conjuration mage (also Alteration, Alchemy, and the most important one, Enchanting) and put him in heavy armor.

Now just hear me out... In the beginning part of the game, that wouldn't be such a great idea. You'd miss out on all of the best mage gear. There aren't that many sets of Dwarven Armor with reduced casting costs super early in the game. All the best mage enchantments come on robes, 'n s**t.

But as you level up work on Enchanting, you get to a point where you can indeed put mage-friendly enchantments on heavy armor that are on par with (or better) than most pre-generated items found in the game. So in the mid-late game, this would seem to be a great idea. You can dress up in the heaviest armor type and enchant everything with reduced casting costs until you're practically (or actually) casting all your spells for free.

Right? Or am I just talkin' outta my a**? Is there any other in inherent problem with mages using heavy armor in this game? No casting cost penalties or b******t like that? Anything wrong with my idea?

[22b3]

The only thing i see as a problem is that the starter heavy armors dont look very "magical" but other then that i've done it and it makes you very strong late game

[Nekomancer]

mage's in heavy armor can tank and nuke at the same time so it's a great combination but the downside is that you will be slowed down in those critical momments where you need that speed.

[Digstar]

The armour you wear won't make any difference to your spell damage etc. The only downside is that your mage armour spell won't be effective but if your wearing decent armour then who cares :D

One downside however is that you would be sinking perk points into heavy armour which could be spent to boost other skills. Then again in the scheme of things, it doesn't matter that much.

One of my favorite characters is a breton vamp lord wearing heavy armour with conjuration and distruction. Also for good measure he has PPoints in two handed weapons for getting up and personal. Points were also added later for illusion, just seemed to fit the vamp type char.

[Brandybuck]

Sounds like you've reinvented the Sorcerer class.

[Chauncey]

The biggest thing I would worry about with a mage in heavy armor is your ability to kite things because of your speed. Although since you'll be donning heavy armor you should be able to handle the punishment.

[Incunabulum]

Originally posted by Digstar:

One downside however is that you would be sinking perk points into heavy armour which could be spent to boost other skills. Then again in the scheme of things, it doesn't matter that much.

This

Speccing into Alteration gives you mage armor perks that are as good as heavy armor (albeit you do lose the time needed to equip and cast the spells) without the stamina drag or spending perks to counter the encumberance loss.

[Nekomancer]

Alteration can be quiet usefull at the begining but the max armor rating it can give you with a master level alteration spell is about 400 with some key perks involved. heavy armor on the other hand can give you an armor rating of around 800+ when you have the entire perk tree maxed out and youre wearing the strongest armor. it all really depend on what you need. if you prioritize speed over defense then its good to use alteration magic. looking for something inbetween and Light armor is a good medium. Heavy armor does provode the best protection but can prove fatal when youre going toe to toe against some pretty storng and devastating opponent's. I willl say though that Alteration does have perks that can not only block a certian percentage of spell dammage but it can also absorb spell dammage and even replenish your mana when it absorbs it. Alteration is for those who tend to face mage based enemys alot. Honeslty, magic based enemy's are in an over abundance in Dawnguard and Dragonborn so it's a good and usefull idea to have spell absorbing magic armor. some food for thought?

[shiva7663]

Yep, Sorcerer.

[Brandybuck]

The trick to being a pure mage (as well as any other "glass cannon" type) is to kill/neutralize the enemies before they get close enough to strike you. Master this skill and you won't need any armor, real or alteration.

[MrRonSwanson]

What Brandybuck said. Also, in the end, it's down to personal preference as both styles of play are feasible in this game.

[Digstar]

Originally posted by voltcheck:

Alteration can be quiet usefull at the begining but the max armor rating it can give you with a master level alteration spell is about 400 with some key perks involved. heavy armor on the other hand can give you an armor rating of around 800+

I think armour caps out at about 560 or 580 regardless of what figures appear on the screen. If 400 is correct for mage armour, (with perks etc etc) then it's very viable. Just started a new char and keen on playing with "0" armour and sinking point into the alt tree.

[TiempoBandido]

Originally posted by Digstar:

I think armour caps out at about 560 or 580 regardless of what figures appear on the screen. If 400 is correct for mage armour, (with perks etc etc) then it's very viable. Just started a new char and keen on playing with "0" armour and sinking point into the alt tree.

Hmm... if we're only talking about a difference of 160-180 armor, then it doesn't seem worth cracking the Heavy Armor tree at all. Any mage has to dip his pinky toe in the Alteration pool at least a little bit, but if spending more points in Alteration only robs you of 160 pts of armor, then those other points that would've been spent on Heavy Armor would probably be better spent somewhere else, like Alchemy or Restoration.

You know, this is what I love about this game. SO many different possibilities of character generation.

[Nekomancer]

thats true but ultimantely you need to prioritize what you need over what you want. there is no doubt you will need protection but the method to the player has been set. Each thing has it's advantage's and disadvantage's but i think a mage in light armor is a good middle ground if you plan on mantaining a high protection rate with alot of manuverability. Alteration weighs nothing so its an optimum choice. Heavy armor is strong but heavy and slow. your call bro.